Leading up to kickoff of the 2026 NFL season, TeamFB7 went in-depth on each team from its strengths and weaknesses to breakout players, intriguing rookies and overall predictions. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Los Angeles Chargers have the right quarterback in Justin Herbert. They have the right head coach in Jim Harbaugh.
They have ample offensive skill talent, and they had a top 5 defensive in the NFL last year.
There is one thing holding the Chargers back and everyone in the league knows what it is.
Los Angeles allowed the second-most sacks in the league during the 2025 regular season (60) and then 6 more in a playoff loss to the New England Patriots as Herbert was tossed around like a stuffed animal.
Those issues were largely because the team played the entire season without starting left tackle Rashawn Slater (ruptured patellar tendon in his knee) and most of the season without starting right tackle Joe Alt (right ankle surgery).
Is it as simple as having those two back healthy in 2026 being all the Chargers need to morph into Super Bowl contenders?
Well, not so fast …
The Chargers’ big free agent signing was center Tyler Biadasz, who promptly sustained a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.
They drafted Florida’s Jake Slaughter at the end of the second round with the thought of having him compete at one of the guard spots, but he’s instead the starting center now. Kayode Awosika, a career backup for the Eagles and Lions the last five seasons, is now the starting left guard. And Cole Strange, who graded out poorly (54.9 PFF grade) as a starter for the Dolphins last year, is now the starting right guard.
That led to moments like this in Chargers’ season-opening 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday — the most shocking result of Week 1 — as Herbert was sacked 3 times while throwing for just 209 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.
It’s too soon to say whether the Chargers are in for season-long issues from the interior of the line, but that preseason hype might best be tempered for the time being — especially in an absolutely loaded AFC this year.
Los Angeles Chargers Reset
2025 Finish: 11-6, lost 16-3 to Patriots in wildcard round
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh, third season (22-12, 0-2 playoffs with Chargers; 66-31-1 overall, 5-5 playoffs, reached three NFC championship games and Super Bowl with 49ers)
Hot Seat Meter (0-10): 0
Offensive Coordinator: Mike McDaniel, first season (former Dolphins HC, replaces fired former OC Greg Roman)
Defensive Coordinator: Chris O’Leary, first season (Western Michigan DC in 2025, replaces Jesse Minter, who is now Ravens HC)
Best Offseason Move: Hiring Mike McDaniel as OC
Mike McDaniel is quirky and beats to his own drum, but he’s also shown enough evidence that he’s a sharp offensive football coach.
He went 35-33 with two playoff appearances in four seasons as Miami Dolphins head coach, and even with that situation imploding last year with star WR Tyreek Hill’s early season-ending knee injury and QB Tua Tagovailoa’s rapid decline, McDaniel kept that team competitive for most of the season (winning five out of six games in the middle of the schedule before running out of gas).
McDaniel figured to get another head coaching opportunity at some point and got some interest immediately last season. He ultimately pulled his name out of the Cleveland Browns’ HC search to take the OC job with the Chargers.
Despite the lackluster Week 1 performance, he should be a net positive to that unit.
Worst Offseason Move: Signing free agent OG Cole Strange
The Chargers did try to improve the interior of their offensive line with the Biadasz signing and just incurred bad luck with his season-ending knee injury. That said, they should have gone all in on upgrading the O-line and done better at right guard.
The Chargers gave Strange a two-year, $13-million deal despite a fairly disappointing NFL career to this point.
The Patriots released him last August after three seasons despite drafting him in the first round, eager to move on and upgrade the position. Strange garnered such little interest at that time that he initially signed to the Browns’ practice squad before the Dolphins signed him to their active roster and made him a starter.
Miami seemed fine to let him walk after the season and sign with the Chargers.
Strange allowed 5 pressures in Week 1 and received the third-lowest PFF grade of any guard in the league.
Los Angeles Chargers Roster Breakdown
Biggest Strength(s): QB and EDGE
While it’s yet to materialize into postseason success for Herbert, he possesses the full package of skills and traits to be a top 10 QB in the league.
He has one of the stronger arms in the NFL, stands 6-foot-6 and has proven his toughness time and again, playing the end of last season with a surgically-repaired broken non-throwing hand while not missing a single game.
Herbert’s career-best season came way back in his second year in 2021 when he threw for 5,014 yards, 38 TDs and 15 INTs. He may not match those numbers in 2026, but he could see a jump in production overall with McDaniel calling the plays.
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The Chargers were so deep at edge rusher last year that they could afford to lose one of the most coveted free agent EDGEs in Odafe Oweh (to the Commanders) and still have an incredibly deep unit with Tuli Tuipulotu (career-high 13 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2025), 9-time Pro Bowl selection Khalil Mack (5.5 sacks in 12 games; 113 career sacks), first-round draft pick Akheem Mesidor (out of Miami) and veteran Bud Dupree (61 career sacks in 11 seasons).
Biggest Weakness: Interior of the offensive line
No need to belabor the point any further, but that’s the reality for now. Slaughter should develop and improve through his rookie season, but the Strange signing was a whiff and Awosika still an unknown variable as a full-time starter.
Most Intriguing Rookie: EDGE Akheem Mesidor
Mesidor was part of a ferocious Miami pass rush that powered the Hurricanes all the way to the national championship game last season. Already 25 years old, he figured to be one of the more NFL-ready prospects in this draft class and should contribute in the rotation on the edge right away for the Chargers.
Breakout Player: RB Omarian Hampton
The Chargers have a lot invested in Omarian Hampton after taking him 22nd overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, but his rookie season was undercut by a fractured left ankle in Week 5 that kept him out for seven games.
Overall, he finished with 545 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 4.4 yards per carry in nine games as a rookie.
Hampton has a clear runway to assert himself as the Chargers’ RB1 this season if he can stay healthy.
MVP Pick: QB Justin Herbert
Herbert is in his seventh season as the Chargers’ starting QB, but he’s still only 28 years old and should just be entering his prime.
Harbaugh was smart to make a change at offensive coordinator and bring in McDaniel, who helped Tagovailoa lead the NFL in passing yards in 2023 before his mounting concussions and decline.
2026 Los Angeles Chargers Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Week 1, Sept. 13 | vs. Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 2, Sept. 20 | vs. Las Vegas Raiders | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 3, Sept. 27 | at Buffalo Bills | 1 p.m. |
| Week 4, Oct. 4 | at Seattle Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 5, Oct. 11 | vs. Denver Broncos | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 6, Oct. 18 | at Kansas City Chiefs | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 7 | BYE WEEK | |
| Week 8, Nov. 1 | at Los Angeles Rams | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 9, Nov. 8 | vs. Houston Texans | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 10, Nov. 16 (Monday) | at Baltimore Ravens | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 11, Nov. 22 | vs. New York Jets | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 12, Nov. 29 | vs. New England Patriots | 8:20 p.m. |
| Week 13, Dec. 6 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 p.m. |
| Week 14, Dec. 13 | at Las Vegas Raiders | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 15, Dec. 17 (Thursday) | vs. San Francisco 49ers | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 16, Dec. 27 | at Miami Dolphins | 1 p.m. |
| Week 17, TBD (Flex Game) | vs. Kansas City Chiefs | TBD |
| Week 18, TBD (Flex Game) | at Denver Broncos | TBD |
Los Angeles Chargers Season Prediction And Parting Thoughts
Season Prediction: 9-7
The challenge for the Chargers is they have an incredibly daunting schedule, not only matching up twice each with AFC West rivals the Chiefs and Broncos but also drawing the NFC West and AFC East with Super Bowl contenders the Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Bills and Patriots. Oh, and add in a road game with the Ravens, another top Super Bowl contender, for good measure.
The schedule is really the biggest reason we’re predicting a regression record-wise for Los Angeles.
But it should be good enough defensively — with those aforementioned edge rushers, second-team All-Pro safety Derwin James, standout linebacker Daiyan Henley and Co. — to be in most games. And even with the fresh OL questions, the upside of Herbert and McDaniel, with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and a deep TE unit (free agent addition Charlie Kolar, veteran David Njoku and 2025 surprise Oronde Gadsden), should produce a prolific passing attack.
Getting upset by the Cardinals in Week 1 was a costly setback, though.
